Once
by meandering-bluebottle
Summary: One Shot: Once, a girl called Rose Weasley and a boy called Scorpius Malfoy went to Hogwarts.  This is their story. The rest was history.  Scorpius/Rose


**A/N:** Hi all, I'm back! Finally found some time to write and this little story made its way into my head after reading a terrific series of books by Morris Gleitzmann, in which the first book is entitled 'Once'. I really hope you enjoy this (rather long) one shot.

**Disclaimer:** The storyline is mine, the concept is Morris Gleitzmann's and the characters are J K Rowling's. Hope that makes sense.

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><p>Once a girl named Rose Weasley turned her bathwater into lime flavoured jelly. She was six years old and her parents had told her that throwing mud at her younger brother was not an appropriate comeback for him giving her Barbie doll a cool new 'do'. Her mother had ordered her to go and clean herself up. Her father informed her that maybe it would have been better to take the wheels off of her brother's matchbox cars instead. As Rose sat in the bath thinking that indeed her father's suggestion did seem more appropriate and long lasting, she found herself hungry. She knew she was to be sent to bed without any supper. Fortunately, her bathwater somewhat solidified and turned green.<p>

With a stomach full of jelly and a mission to find Hugo's matchbox cars, Rose dried herself on one of the pristine white towels hanging on the bathroom rail and went to her room as was directed. Ten minutes later she could hear her mother yell something incoherent about her ruined towels.

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><p>Once a boy named Scorpius Malfoy stood on Platform 9 ¾ with butterflies in his stomach. Ever since he had received his letter informing him of his acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had been looking forward to his first day of school. He had begged his mother to go shopping for the listed school items and convinced her to buy much more than was listed and far more items than were necessary. Now that he was finally standing on the platform, a seed of doubt was sown in his mind. He looked around at the other students. Each one seemed infinitely taller than he was. Each one seemed much less blonde than he was. Each one seemed more sure of themselves than he was. As he looked up at his parents he suddenly felt more petrified than excited.<p>

Once, Rose was told by her father to beat Scorpius Malfoy in every test and to not get too friendly with him. Feeling excited about starting school, Rose was not able to understand her father's subtle joke. At this moment, she took her father rather seriously.

When Rose boarded the train, she was the only one already in her school robes. She walked with Albus down the corridor, almost dragging him along.

"Come on Al, we have to find a good compartment."

"I want to get a good compartment too Rosie but could you stop dragging me for a bit."

Rose looked down at her cousin's hand and realised there were white marks where she was grasping.

"Oh sorry Al. Did I hurt you?"

Al looked a little embarrassed.

"No you didn't, I just – " Albus looked towards a door to his left which indicated a boy's toilet. Rose laughed.

"Nature calls huh? Well I'll go on ahead. Look further up this way, I'll save us a spot!"

"Thanks Rosie!" Albus said hurriedly and bolted into the boy's toilet.

Rose continued down the corridor. There were no free compartments, at least not a completely free compartment anyway. Rose came to a compartment towards the very end of the train and figured this would have to do. She waltzed in, sat down and was about to introduce herself to the person sitting opposite her when she realised exactly who he was.

"You're that Malfoy boy," Rose said. The boy in question quickly darted his eyes towards the girl opposite him.

"Yeah I am. Hi, I'm Scorpius." He said with a smile, not noticing her tone of voice.

Rose looked him up and down without realising what she was doing. She thought for a moment before speaking.

"_My_ dad said not to get too friendly with you."

"Oh, did he?" Scorpius replied, his eyes downcast.

"Yes. _And _he said I had to-"

"Rosie, you found a compartment! Hi, I'm Albus!"

Scorpius didn't get a chance to introduce himself.

"Al, this is Scorpius. You remember what dad said about him on the platform?"

Albus glanced at the boy who in all honesty looked as though he wanted to cry.

"Ah Rosie, I think that Uncle Ron was-"

"Never mind, I think we should find a different compartment. Come on Al."

Rose quickly stood up and spun around so that her hair whipped around her. She grabbed Albus' arm once again and pulled him out of the compartment. Albus looked apologetically towards Scorpius but the boy missed it.

Albus and Rose found some other first years to share the rest of the journey with.

* * *

><p>Once, Scorpius cried for half an hour on the Hogwart's Express. Despite his newfound fear of attending formal schooling for the first time, Scorpius had plucked up the courage to introduce himself. It just so happened that the first person he had introduced himself to had been very mean and had insulted him purely for his name. He had recognised the girl from the platform. He remembered his father nodding to the adults who were surrounded by a number of red and black haired children of all ages. He also remembered what his father had said to his mother.<p>

"Hmph, that lot may have the name of a weasel but they breed like rabbits."

"Weasel?" Scorpius had asked his father, who laughed almost bitterly.

"Never mind Son. Just, don't go getting mixed up with that lot."

"Why?"

His father seemed to think for a moment and glanced at his mother.

"Because I don't want letters to be send home telling your mother and I that you've been getting into fights or mixing with the wrong crowds. Just, use your common sense."

"Okay dad." Scorpius replied, and never questioned what his father meant.

Scorpius did what his father said and used his common sense. His common sense was telling him that the 'weasel' girl was not a nice person and that he shouldn't cry over someone like that who treated him so badly. But he couldn't help it; the tears kept flowing. He finally calmed down, sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Upon doing this he thought of his mother's voice.

"A gentleman _never_ uses his sleeve as a handkerchief." Scorpius felt slightly ashamed of himself as his mother had tried very hard to make him into the perfect gentleman. His father was the one who taught him to get away with things when other people weren't looking. As Scorpius chuckled softly to himself, the compartment door opened again. Scorpius felt a new wave of despair flow over him. The boy that entered the compartment was as short as he was but had curly brown hair.

"Hi, all the other compartments are full. I'm Christian Mathers, who are you?"

Scorpius was taken aback by the boy's abrupt manner but once again plucked up the courage to introduce himself for the second time that day.

"Scorpius."

"Scorpius what?"

Scorpius had tried to avoid this exact problem. He didn't want to use his last name.

"Scorpius, um-"

"Scorpius Um? That's a bit of a weird name. Where are your parents from to get that last name?"

Scorpius looked slightly panicked as the boy remained self important and haughty. Scorpius gulped.

"No, that's not – Um isn't-"

The boy opposite him burst into fits of laughter.

"Mate, you take things too seriously, lighten up! I was just joking, I know your last name isn't Um."

Scorpius was still not sure what had happened.

"Oh, haha."

Christian leaned over and lightly punched Scorpius on the shoulder.

"So, you excited about school? I can't wait to get to learn different charms and things. What house do you think you're going to be in?"

Scorpius sighed with relief. He had found someone who was willing to talk to him and he still hadn't had to say his last name.

That was, until the sorting. Scorpius paled (further) when he realised that he would have to be sorted in front of the entire school, after his name had been read out for everyone to hear.

"_Malfoy, Scorpius!"_ shouted the professor. Scorpius hadn't realised that any other students had already been sorted. It felt as though at that stage, the alphabet began with 'M'. Scorpius made his way slowly up to the stool at the front of the hall. The hat was placed on his head. Scorpius jumped as he heard a voice in his head.

_Hm apprehensive I see. Not wanting to be noticed, fading into the shadows – you know that won't work forever but how very cunning of you to get away with it for as long as you have. You have great potential you know, but hiding is going to get you nowhere. I have no choice but to put you in…_

"Slytherin!"

Scorpius was still reeling from the voice in his head but was glad that he could make his father proud and joined the rest of the students at the Slytherin table. Scorpius' new friend Christian was called up straight after Malfoy and was also sorted into Slytherin. Scorpius felt another weight lift from his shoulders at this point.

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><p>Once again, a Weasley and a Potter were sorted into Gryffindor. Rose and Albus sat side by side at the Gryffindor table, relieved that they would still be able to spend time with one another.<p>

"I knew Al and I would both be sorted into Gryffindor, both our families have been in Gryffindor for generations, have you met Al? This is Albus." Rose started boasting to another first year next to her who didn't seem that interested.

"Um, hi," Albus responded self consciously. The girl took more notice as Albus said hello. She gasped.

"You're Albus Potter! I've read all about your dad, you look just like him!"

" Who is it?" someone whispered.

"It's James' brother Albus, he looks just like Harry Potter!"

"Are you kidding? That guy has bits of grey hair, he's just a kid!"

"Oh don't be so nit picky, he's just like his dad in those photos."

Albus started picking at his plate, not wanting to be the centre of attention. His brother James was much better at handling the attention than he was.

"Well he's _my_ cousin and he's _my _best friend." Rose said smugly. Albus loved his cousin very much and she was his best friend, but around new people she could be a little overbearing. However, he was grateful that she had spoken up at this point because people had noticed that Albus did not want to answer any questions. Luckily, Rose was willing to do this for him. Albus breathed a sigh of relief and Rose beamed as she was able to tell everyone just how much she knew about Albus Potter.

* * *

><p>Once, Scorpius bet Rose in a test and it felt good. It was during second year just before the Christmas break. Rose had stuck to her word and had pretty much ignored Scorpius at all costs and had, until this point, beaten him in every test. Actually, she had beaten everyone in all tests until this point. Scorpius was not overly academic. He only studied a little and was not too concerned that Rose often bet him in class. He had his own friends and didn't need to care what she did or thought. But <em>beating <em>her just felt so good!

Scorpius had always loved cooking and experimenting with different recipes, a skill which his mother had perfected and had passed down to her son. It was no surprise then, that Scorpius would be good at potions. Up until this point their tests had been theoretical but Scorpius was more of a practical person. They had to brew a simple laughing potion and he had perfected his. Not only did he perfect his potion, but he was announced the best in front of the entire class which was made up of Slytherin and Gryffindor students. This included Rose Weasley.

Scorpius went home with his head held high at Christmas time. He chatted with his mates on the train all the way home and stuffed himself with lollies and cakes from the sweets trolley. Scorpius' father was mightily impressed with his son's achievement.

* * *

><p>Once, Rose was told to wake up to herself by her cousin and best friend, Albus Potter. Rose was furious with herself that she had lost to Scorpius Malfoy. She was a high achiever and her dad had told her to beat him in every test. Every test meant <em>every<em> test, including brewing potions. Rose had been ready to stand up and accept as many as 50 points for Gryffindor house but as the event goes, Scorpius Malfoy was the one who was the top of the class and consequently earned himself 15 points for Slytherin. Rose scooped up her belongings at the end of the class and stormed out of the room.

"Rosie!" Albus called after her but couldn't catch her.

Rosie realised that no one else was in the common room once she arrived so she threw her books down and let out a frustrated scream. As she was moodily picking up her books, Albus and Amanda, a fellow Gryffindor arrived. Amanda attempted to console Rose.

"Rosie, it's okay calm down. It was just _one_-"

"One test? _One _test Amanda? I was supposed to be good at this!" Rose huffed as she picked up yet another book.

"But you finished and you got the potion right-"

"Oh quit it Amanda, I wasn't the best so what point was there. I couldn't even beat Scorpius Malfoy for Merlin's sake!"

"Rosie-" Albus intervened.

"I promised my dad that I would beat him in _every-"_

"ROSE!" Albus yelled.

"Oh WHAT Albus?"

Albus did not appreciate Rose's attitude, the way she was treating Amanda nor the way she snapped at him. He grabbed the books out of her hand, thumped them on the coffee table and motioned for Rose to sit down. She didn't move.

"SIT Rose!"

Rose huffed but did as she was told.

"Rosie, believe me when I say that I love you dearly and nothing could ever change that but you have to hear this – "

Rose looked a little scared. She had never heard Albus talk like this before.

"Rosie, as I said I love you but lately you have been almost unbearable. You are so obsessed with being the best at everything that you don't even care what you say or who you say it to. Amanda was only trying to help you, she was being a good friend and you turn around and blamed everything on her." He paused, but continued anyway.

"You really need to take a good look at how you treat people. You've become bossy, rude and a know-it-all. And you shouldn't blame Scorpius just because he was better than you at something."

Albus knew this would happen. He immediately regretted what he said as he could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh bugger Rosie, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I just think you needed to hear that. Just, please don't hate me." Albus pleaded.

Rose looked up and saw that the common room was now half full. She had lost in a test, her cousin had yelled at her and she was humiliated in front of her housemates. She took one look at Albus' pleading face and fled up to her dormitory. She closed the curtains around her bed and didn't bother packing for the train ride until the last minute.

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><p>Once, Scorpius sat on the train ready for his third year to begin when Rose Weasley asked rather politely whether she could sit opposite him.<p>

"Um, sure?" Scorpius replied, not really sure why he allowed her into his compartment. Rose sat down directly opposite him and looked forlornly out of the window. Scorpius had really enjoyed the rest of his second year once he returned from Christmas. He realised that he had a particular talent for potions and had continued to excel in the subject. The fact that his grades in his other subjects weren't too fantastic didn't matter to him because he finally felt comfortable. He had friends, he had skills (or at least skills in potion making) and he had fun. He had started to not want to be a wallflower anymore and had started to show people who he really was. Scorpius was never going to be completely outgoing and forthright like his best friend Christian, but the fact that he was able to quietly observe and plan things was a distinct advantage. While he had participated in breaking curfew and a few pranks with his friends, he had never been caught and he owed this to his Slytherin cunning but his heightened common sense, something which his friends seemed to lack with their gung ho approach.

Scorpius continued to stare at Rose quizzically and she occasionally glanced his way which let him know that she was obviously aware of him. Scorpius couldn't help it, his curiosity got the best of him.

"Um, why aren't you sitting with your cousins or friends?"

Rose's face turned slightly pink.

"I didn't want to bother them during the train ride. I saw them at home and I'll see them at school. No big deal."

Scorpius looked even more confused at her.

"But you're always with your cousins."

Rose shook her head and went even redder.

"Okay. So, why did you choose to sit in here – with me? I mean, don't you hate me?"

Rose looked almost hurt at this accusation and was quick to respond.

"I don't hate you. And I chose here because a) it was the only carriage that didn't have more than one person in it and b) it's at the end of the train."

Scorpius thought about this a little, his logic ticking overtime.

"So you wanted to be somewhere where not many people could bother you or walk past and see you?"

Rose shrugged. Scorpius was a little taken aback by the girl's behaviour. While she had not been as much of a serial pest in his classes during the latter part of second year, he still didn't think she had changed. He was starting to think that something huge had gone down. Just as Scorpius was about to ask another question, his friends arrived. Christian, Ben and Waylon all entered, laughing and holding armfuls of lollies and cakes.

"Hey Scorp, you'll never guess what – oh hello." Christian got distracted by the unexpected visitor to their compartment. Rose turned around and managed a small smile despite the fact that she was cringing on the inside. She had wanted a near empty carriage, not one full of rowdy third years.

The boys cast her furtive glances and with raised eyebrows, tried to silently communicate with Scorpius about what she was doing there. Scorpius simply shook his head in a gesture that meant 'I don't know'.

Christian sat down next to Rose.

"Cauldron cake?" he asked. Rose shook her head and resumed looking out the window.

"Liquorice wand, chocolate frog, peanut cluster?"

"No thanks." Rose answered in a small voice. There was no talking as the boys tucked into the treats. All that could be heard was the rustle of papers and wrappers. After devouring half of their food supply and many attempts at conversation with their mouths full, the boys once again turned their attention to the only girl in their group.

"So, you've met our friend Scorpius Um then have you?"

Scorpius laughed at this. His nickname had been Scorpius Um since Christian introduced him to the other students in Slytherin.

"Excuse me?" Rose asked with a confused face.

"Mr. Um over there? You know, Scorpius."

"I know who he is. I know who you all are." Rose said and Scorpius heard the more familiar knowledgeable tone in her voice. The others must have noticed this too because that was when they changed their tactics.

"Ah so you'll know that Um here is quite good at potions then?" Waylon jibed. This seemed to make Rose withdraw again as she simply nodded in response. Scorpius felt that they had touched a nerve but would be lying if he said that he felt sorry for her.

"Ah so you'll know that Scorp was the top of the class last year then? Not even _you_ could beat him!"

Rose mumbled something that sounded like "I was aware" which was muffled because she had picked up her bag and stood up with the intention of leaving.

"Aw Rosie Posie don't go, we've got plenty of cauldron cakes for you," Christian said but the effect of being polite was lost when Ben added,

"Yeah, probably the only type of cauldron you could conquer!"

Scorpius couldn't help it. He laughed along with the rest of the boys. Rose simply turned even redder if that was possible and exited the compartment.

While Scorpius felt a niggling feeling of guilt, he shook it off. He had friends and was treated like a person, not like a Malfoy. Third year was going to be a great year for him.

* * *

><p>Once Scorpius thought that he might be gay. He was 15 and still had not kissed a girl. All of his friends were boys and that was how he felt most comfortable. Girls made him feel insecure, as though he was a clumsy fool. Boys made him feel more sure of himself and manly, for they valued his opinions and knowledge whereas most girls did not care for what he found interesting. The person he felt most comfortable with was his best mate Christian Mathers.<p>

Christian was not like Scorpius in the social department. He was not afraid to say what was on his mind, and he was neither clumsy nor afraid to talk to girls. Physically he was different too. Scorpius was short and thin, giving the all round impression that he was a runt, a weakling whereas Christian was much taller than he was and had meat to his bones. While Scorpius liked to keep his opinions to himself, Christian liked to give advice when he thought it was due. They were like chalk and cheese but that was why their friendship worked so perfectly. Or so Scorpius thought.

As was Christian's style, he had rushed back to the Slytherin dorms immediately after his first kiss in third year and had shared every disgusting detail with his best mate. Scorpius found the whole 'girl' thing way too much pressure. While his friends were beginning to start commenting on their female classmates' changing physiques, Scorpius was more content with reading up on the latest Quidditch drafts and selections. When his friends were looking at 'boys magazines' he was more content to avert his gaze and occupy his time trying to make different coloured sparks come from his wand. When his friends graduated to rating each girl in their year on a scale of one to 10, Scorpius pretended he wasn't sure who they were talking about and asked silly questions ('isn't she the one who melted her cauldron last week?') or made non-sexual related comments about their relatives, hair colour or favourite quidditch team. All in all, Scorpius felt uncomfortable discussing anything to do with girls and he really didn't see what was so great about them because they never seemed interested in what he had to say. Unfortunately for Scorpius, it was his fifth year when he realised that maybe the reason he didn't know any girls was because he didn't _like_ girls. He thought back to that fateful day when Christian over-shared information regarding his first kiss and remembered the feelings of jealousy that seemed out of place at the time. He couldn't figure out whether he was jealous because Christian had gone so far ahead of him in the girl department, or whether he was jealous of the girl because she had gotten to spend (a lot) of time with his best mate.

For two years Scorpius had not changed much in personality or physique but his friends had. It was for this reason that he was finally putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. And the possibilities scared him. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and had a very restless sleep that night.

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><p>Once, the potions professor insisted on a group project where names were drawn out of a hat to make groups of three. As fate would have it, Rose was placed into a group with Scorpius and another Slytherin who she knew did not do very well in the subject. As it turned out, she was correct as the other student never even showed up to the library when they scheduled study time. Rose was uncomfortable with this but luckily for Rose, Scorpius' friend Christian often accompanied them to the library, at least for a little while. Unluckily for Scorpius, Christian often took the time to try to silently communicate to his friend just what he thought of Rose Weasley and would make crude gestures behind her back.<p>

Rose had calmed down a lot since her second year. She had toned down her bossiness (even though it still came naturally to her to want things done her way), let others have their say and was not such a show off. She had even made a few new friends in her third year as she had tried to stay away from her cousin Albus – Albus thought this was because Rose was still angry with him for what he said but the truth was that Rose just thought it would be easier if she didn't impose herself so much on her cousin's life. Be that as it may, their friendship was never quite the same.

Rose and Scorpius met for the third and final time to add the finishing touches to their assignment on Wolfsbane potion. As usual, Christian joined them.

"So Rosie Posey, I don't think I've asked if you have found yourself a boyfriend!"

Rose looked up from her book while Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"You know very well that you have asked me three times in the last two weeks. You should know the answer," Rose said snottily. Sometimes when someone irked her she couldn't make herself sound more pleasant. Some things were just habit.

"But you may have found someone over the last four days, just want to keep up with the gossip."

"Then talk to your girlfriend. I'm sure she has more juicy gossip than I do."

"Ah well you see I, like you, need to find someone."

"Did you lose your girlfriend? Better go find her then."

"But I'd much rather find you Rosie Posey."

For the first time, Rose looked up from her book and looked at Christian with disgust.

"Just ignore him Rose. He can be a little – uncouth when talking about women."

"Or to them," Rose mumbled and only Scorpius heard.

"Uncouth? Scorp to you saying 'bum' in front of a girl would be offensive. You know your mum's not here to wrap you over the knuckles for not being a gentleman."

Rose looked at Christian quizzically.

"Oh didn't you know? Scorp here respects women so much that he's never gone near one. Won't say a word about them or to them!" Christian had a knowing look on his face as he smirked at his friend. Scorpius didn't know what Christian was playing at but he didn't like the personal direction that this conversation had turned – particularly seeing as though Scorpius was still uncertain of his feelings about genders in general.

"Well at least _he's _a gentleman," Rose argued, trying to win the argument against the burley guy sitting opposite her. Christian smirked again and Scorpius groaned inwardly, not knowing what his friend would come back with now. Christian wanted to win arguments just as much as Rose did.

"A gentleman? Rosie Posey, you have to actually have opportunities to prove you're a gentleman – Scorp here has had no opportunities. Ever. Not. A. One."

Rose raised her eyebrow at Christian. Up until this point she was sure that the boy was just goading his friend simply because he could but Rose was beginning to think there must be some truth in what he was saying.

"Seriously?" she asked and Christian just nodded as he pushed his chair back and stood up.

"Have fun Scorp." Christian said as he joyfully strode off as if he had accomplished something. There was a huge pause as Scorpius wouldn't look at Rose and where she was sure he was only pretending to read over what he had already written on the parchment. Rose studied the boy for a while. He was short, much shorter than her. Rose was always having growth spurts and, being a girl she had been much taller than many of the people in her year. Scorpius was also fairly thin, almost on the cusp of weedy but Rose couldn't quite label him thus and make it fit. He had thick blonde hair that he used to hide behind, or at least that's what Rose thought because every time he looked down, his hair would flop forward and cover his face from view. The only thing to indicate that he was indeed fifteen was that his voice had dropped over a year ago. It was almost bizarre hearing such a low voice from such a small creature. Rose was starting to sympathise with the boy. He seemed very quiet and only said things that seemed necessary or polite. Even when she had insulted him the day they met, he hadn't been rude to her – ever. Rose felt slightly conflicted in her thoughts but remembered what Christian had said and, glancing at the boy adjacent to her, she made up her mind.

Neither of them had spoken for 10 minutes but as Rose turned the page in her book, she finally said something.

"Hm I've just found out some more side effects of a poorly made Wolfsbane potion, I'll mark the page so we can add it to the assignment. Oh and you can kiss me if you want."

"Um, what?" Scorpius mumbled quietly, even though he didn't look up from his book.

"I said I've found some more side effects to write down and that you could kiss me. You know, if you want."

Scorpius slowly looked up at Rose who was staring back at him nonchalantly.

"Why?" he asked, looking rather stunned and slightly scared. Rose tried not to laugh at his wide eyes.

"Well a) because we need to be thorough with the details of our assignment and b) according to your friend you have never kissed a girl so I'm offering."

"But, _why?"_

"Weren't you listening? I just told you!"

"No you didn't tell me, you just said it was because my friend said I hadn't kissed a girl."

"Actually I said that we need to be thorough with the assignment _and_ that you haven't kissed a girl."

Scorpius looked at her, still questioning her with his eyes. Rose huffed noisily (another habit she hadn't quite shaken).

"Look, it's not like I'm trying to be a saint or anything but if what your friend was saying is true, then you're 15 and haven't kissed a girl because you're either too scared to, have low self esteem or you're gay or something. And if it is any one or more of those reasons then I just thought it would be easier for you if I offered so you wouldn't have to explain to anyone else what your reasons were."

Scorpius looked even more upset now if that were possible.

"Sorry for being so forward I just – well it seems like you wanted to keep that information to yourself but your friend sold you out and I already know. Why not get it over with and stop worrying about it?"

There was another large silence as Scorpius looked away from her with flushed cheeks. He didn't respond so Rose simply went back to her book and scratched down the information she had just found. She pushed the page over to Scorpius as he was compiling the information for the assignment as his handwriting was neater. They worked in silence for another 10 minutes until –

"Okay."

Rose looked up from her book once more.

"Okay?" she questioned.

"Okay," Scorpius nodded.

Rose snapped her book shut and smiled at him.

"Well, whenever you're ready." She said and waited for him to lean in to her.

Scorpius looked around the library. They were quite secluded in the Magical Beasts section and were surrounded on three sides by bookshelves. Scorpius still couldn't look at her but his hand did brush his hair away from his face. Through his peripheral vision he could see that her arms were set on the table and she was leaning towards him slightly, as if trying to make what seemed like a huge distance seem a little smaller. Scorpius felt his hands shake a little bit and figured that if he was going to do this, he may as well get it over and done with. He leant in quickly to close the gap and keeping his body well away, he pressed his lips to hers in a closed kiss. He pulled away after a couple of seconds and pondered what had happened. He was surprised that her lips were slightly cool and moist, even though their mouths had remained tightly closed. He didn't feel butterflies or fireworks, but he certainly didn't hate it.

Rose cleared her throat.

"Wanna try that again?" she said with her eyebrows raised. Scorpius was observant so he knew from this look that she was giving him a chance to try again. Ah, that meant it wasn't that good the first time. His shoulders slumped slightly and he heard Rose sigh again.

"Look, just go with it. I won't tell anyone if you won't and it doesn't mean anything so there really is nothing to worry about."

Scorpius looked up at her for the first time and met her eyes. She seemed sincere so he nodded. He leant in again and this time relaxed his lips slightly. Again he was shocked at the cool, wet feeling that pleasantly tingled his lips. Rose opened her mouth slightly and Scorpius wasn't sure what to do so he did the same. Rose set a light, slow pace so Scorpius could follow and after about a minute, he got used to the rhythm and movements. Although her hands remained on the table and his hands were held tight to his knees, Scorpius started to relax and found that he was almost enjoying himself. The sensations were so new and interesting. Up until this point he was unaware that his lips could be so sensitive or that you could _taste_ another person or that saliva wasn't in fact as gross as what he thought. He had heard from his friends about French kissing and was wondering whether Rose would let him put his tongue in her mouth, but as this thought came to him he felt her move away. He was almost relieved because he had the sudden realisation that if he put his tongue into her mouth, he probably wouldn't know what to do next. Come to think of it, he still didn't know what to do next and they had stopped kissing.

"You see, now you don't have to be so scared." Rose said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Scorpius said almost goofily and he could feel his cheeks heat up slightly. He glanced over at Rose who continued to look nonchalant but he noticed that her lips were much redder than what they were before. He felt almost felt a sense of accomplishment that he was the one to make her look like that.

"Do you think we need any more information?" Rose asked, referring to the assignment.

Scorpius took a while to answer.

"Oh the assignment, no I think we've got enough."

"Great. Did you want me to help you write anything?"

"With your handwriting? I think I'll be fine to finish it off." Scorpius said. Rose looked at him and smiled.

"Look at you! One kiss and already you're more confident." Rose said with a smile. Scorpius just laughed a little and ran a hand through his hair again. He felt like she was right. Rose got up and collected her book bag.

"Right, so I suppose I'll leave you to it. See you round Scorpius."

"Yeah, you too." Scorpius said as she started to walk away from the table. He watched her hair swishing and felt mesmerized for a second.

"Hey, Rose?" he asked, not realising that the words had left his mouth. She turned around.

"Yeah?"

Scorpius simply stared at her. "Thanks." He said finally.

"You're welcome." She said and was about to turn away again but Scorpius continued.

"I don't just mean for the – well just, thanks for not asking questions or being weird or – thanks."

Rose smiled and shook her head again.

"You seem like a decent person Scorpius. Make sure you believe it too yeah?"

And with that, Rose left. Scorpius handed in their assignment the next day. They got an Outstanding.

* * *

><p>Once, Rose finally believed that she wasn't a bad person.<p>

* * *

><p>Once, Scorpius finally believed that he wasn't gay.<p>

* * *

><p>Once, Rose felt a little bit like a peeping Tom.<p>

It was nearly the Christmas holidays of fifth year and Rose was predictably in the library, gathering books to borrow and take home for the holidays. She had just picked up a book on the lowest shelf and heard a giggle coming from the next row. She was set to ignore this until she heard the unmistakable baritone of Scorpius Malfoy's voice. Curious, she stood up and made sure no one was watching her. She removed three books at her eye level and peered through into the next study section. There she saw two figures, standing rather close to one another. Surprisingly the girl was actually much shorter than Scorpius. Rose couldn't make out who the girl was but she did see curly blonde hair that didn't belong to Scorpius. Rose moved slightly so she could get a better view. She immediately regretted her actions as she saw Scorpius bend down and begin to kiss the girl. Feeling as though she had interrupted a private moment, Rose figured she should put the books back and give them their privacy. However, Rose couldn't put these thoughts into action and she simply stood there, mesmerised by what she saw.

It was almost six months since she and Scorpius had completed their assignment together which meant almost six months since his first kiss. Rose figured he must have had a little bit of practise since then because he seemed so confident in himself now. She saw him pull back from the girl with a little smile on his face as the girl continued to close her eyes. His smile broadened and he leant in again. Rose couldn't help smiling with him, almost as if it was because of her that Scorpius' current accomplishment was occurring. Rose watched with a blush as the kiss heated up and her limbs finally obeyed her minds orders to put the book back.

She sat with her family at the Gryffindor table and was quite chatty that evening.

* * *

><p>Once, Scorpius got himself a girlfriend. Her name was Amber but ironically she had blonde, not red hair. Scorpius had known her for a while now and after realising that he indeed <em>wasn't<em> gay, he decided to take a bit more interest in his friend. It so happened that Amber thought she would also take more interest in Scorpius as he finally talked to her and showed more confidence. He had first kissed her rather surprisingly under a tree near the lake one day when she was having a freak out about their OWL exams coming later in the school year. He had thought her so cute at this time and simply leant in and took her by surprise. Since then, they had a lot of practise kissing each other. After three weeks, they decided that they would make it official and became boyfriend and girlfriend. Scorpius was ecstatic!

He shared a compartment with Amber on their way back to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. He sat reading the paper with his arm around Amber while she hummed a sweet tune under her breath. Scorpius looked up at one point to see a red headed girl walking past their compartment. He softly moved Amber's head from his lap.

"Sorry, I just wanted to catch up with someone," he said with a smile.

"As long as you come back!" she replied, also with a smile. He pecked her on the cheek and quickly rushed out of the compartment.

"Rose!" he yelled and the red head turned around.

"Oh hey Scorpius! How was your holiday?" she asked. Scorpius couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"Great, better than great actually! Best holiday ever! And you?" Rose laughed at his enthusiasm.

"It was a lovely break. Sounds like yours was particularly wonderful though. May I ask why?" Rose had her suspicions but wanted Scorpius to tell her. He smiled widely and looked up at her.

"Well, I may have bagged myself a girlfriend. You want to meet her?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course! Lead the way!"

Scorpius lead Rose to his compartment and she looked in. As she saw the curly blonde haired girl she blushed slightly. Scorpius opened the compartment door.

"Amber, I want you to meet Rose Weasley. Rose this is Amber, my girlfriend." He said with an even goofier grin if that were possible. Rose smiled and held out her hand to the girl.

"Lovely to meet you. Scorpius is a good bloke, I'm glad you could make him happy!" She said genuinely. Amber smiled back.

"Yeah he is and um thank you. Nice to meet you too."

Rose joined Scorpius and Amber for the rest of the train ride back to Hogwarts. While Rose was happy for Scorpius, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she was alone.

* * *

><p>Once, Scorpius grew almost a foot over the holidays before sixth year. Not only had he grown, but his face had<p>

also matured enough that his features finally matched his deep voice.

Amber had suddenly become the envy of many single girls around the school.

* * *

><p>Once, feeling rather alone at an after Quidditch party, Rose flirted with and kissed Christian Mathers. It wasn't<p>

that he was a terrible guy, she just felt that it was rather awkward, made more so because she wasn't sure if Scorpius had ever told his best friend about his first kiss.

They went on a couple of dates in Hogsmeade but it never eventuated into anything more.

* * *

><p>Once, after one year, nine months and fourteen days, Scorpius and Amber broke up. Scorpius had received more attention from other girls and while Amber was very tolerable of her boyfriend's knack for attracting attention, there came a point where she couldn't handle it anymore.<p>

While she knew it to be a lie, she accused him of cheating on her. He became very upset by this accusation and their argument eventually ended with Scorpius shouting,

"Well if you don't trust me then there's probably not much reason for us to be together!"

Amber had cried and stormed out of the room. Scorpius had collapsed on his bed and didn't go to watch Quidditch the next day.

Eventually they both apologised and got back together, but nothing could bring back the trust they had before. After another month, they decided that they should split for good.

They said they would stay friends but they never did.

* * *

><p>Once, Rose and the rest of her charm's class were given the option of what defensive spell they wanted to research and write an assignment on. She chose silent shield charms. Coincidentally, so did Scorpius. The students were told to go in their pairs to the library and commence their research.<p>

They sat down on a table in the library to begin their assignment.

"So we meet again!" Rose said with humour. Scorpius nodded.

"So it would seem!" Scorpius replied. They smiled at each other and both turned to read their research question.

"Gosh, this sounds just like our last assignment we did together: "research the origin of the spell and provide information on the different effective variations over time. Discuss the effects of a poorly cast shield charm and how to counteract its effects.' We should get out our Wolfsbane potion and just change the words from 'wolfsbane potion' to 'silent shield charms'." Rose said with a laugh.

"Yeah we could do that, but I doubt that the effect of a poorly cast shield charm would be to have excessive rage and unusual hair growth."

"It could if you were using it against a psychiatrist or a hairdresser maybe?"

Scorpius stared at Rose for a moment and then started laughing hysterically. Rose began to laugh along with him but didn't quite understand exactly what was so funny. She stopped laughing while Scorpius continued.

"Scorpius," she said, but he ignored her.

"SCORPIUS!" she yelled and he finally stopped laughing and looked at her. He still had a few giggles and was wiping his eyes but finally calmed down.

"Ah sorry. Haven't found something so funny for a while now. Thanks."

Rose looked at him strangely.

"Um, you're welcome?"

"Sorry, it's just that since Amber and I broke up everything has seemed a little less cheerful. Seems like things are looking up now though, if I can laugh like a maniac like that." He said rather sheepishly.

"Oh right, I forgot about you and Amber. Well, if poor jokes are what's going to cure you, you've partnered the right person!"

"Good, I'm glad." He said and turned back to the research question.

Countless books and an hour later, Scorpius decided that he needed a break. He pushed his book away and leant back on the chair to survey his surroundings. A sly grin came to his face as he realised where they were.

"Rose, do you realise that this is the exact table that we sat at the last time we worked together?"

Rose looked around and nodded.

"Hm, I suppose you're right."

"So you know what that means?"

"Hm?" she responded, not really paying attention to him. He dog eared her page to mark her spot and closed her book.

"Time for a break. So you agree, this is the same table as the last time we worked together?"

"I heard you before, yes this is the same table."

"So you know what else that means?" he asked, grinning again.

"That they haven't changed the format of the library in three years?"

"Nope! That we are in fact in the exact same spot as our and my first kiss." He said as if he had solved a particularly difficult riddle. Rose smiled but rolled her eyes at him.

"Well I _knew_ that! The way you were building it up it sounded as though you were having a major revelation or something!"

"Hey, it was a revelation for me!" He said playfully. Rose rolled her eyes again and reached for her book but Scorpius tapped it away.

"Come on, it wasn't a revelation for you? Helping some weedy rich kid realise that he wasn't in fact gay?"

Rose laughed at this.

"You thought you were _gay?_" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah! I mean, you saw what my friends were like, I was well behind them!"

Rose laughed even more.

"Oh how I love your logic! I never thought you actually _thought_ you were gay, I just thought that maybe you were just a little insecure or something!"

"Huh really? So I've just admitted I thought I was gay to the girl who was my first kiss?"

He said, brows knitted.

"It appears so."

"Well, I certainly feel like an arse then." He said but then shrugged. "Ah well, we've shared spit, we can share secrets too!"

"Please tell me you don't talk about kissing as 'sharing spit'"

"So what if I do?"

"If you do, I'm going to have to retract our first kiss then."

"First of all, you can't retract a kiss and second of all, you're calling it our first kiss now too. Does that mean there's going to be more?"

Rose looked at Scorpius slightly shocked. He had certainly changed since the last time they had sat in this spot.

"First can also mean 'only'."

"No, first implies that there is an order, hence second, third etcetera. If you mean our only kiss then you must dictate that there was only one."

Rose leaned in to Scorpius closely and he did the same. Only a small gap was left between them.

"Tell me Scorpius, when you had a growth spurt, did you're brain also suffer a malfunction?"

Scorpius smirked.

"No but I'll tell you something that did-" he said raising his eyebrows suggestively. Rose leaned away from him and pushed him away. Scorpius laughed.

"I was going to say my feet!"

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Sure you were."

"I promise I was! Come on, this is coming from the guy who thought he was gay."

"Hm, you do have a point. But admit it, you've changed."

Scorpius looked at Rose pointedly.

"So have you." Rose looked away from him at this point. She had always been ashamed of how she had acted during her first two years at Hogwarts. Scorpius sensed her discomfort and decided to change the subject.

"Well technically the class is only supposed to go for two hours so why don't we spend the next 45 minutes doing our research and then head down to lunch. Oh and if you want to kiss me that would be okay too."

Rose looked at him once again and noticed his mischievous grin.

"Touche." She said and laughed lightly.

"The funny thing is that you think I'm joking."

"Oh you're not?"

"Just try me." He said with a smile.

* * *

><p>Once, two friends called Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy finally got their second kiss. Then, they got their third. After that, they lost count.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN** This is my first one shot, what did you think? Please review...I left the ending up to interpretation so would love to hear what your thoughts are about what happened next or rather 'then'...


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